Former motel owners tell council they were blocked from restoring River Valley Inn before city receivership

At the public-comment portion of the April 25 meeting, Sangeeta Champaneri and her husband, Pramod Champion, said they previously owned and invested in the River Valley Inn at 1707 Needles Highway and that a later buyer let the property fall into disrepair. Champaneri said the city closed the motel in April 2022 and placed a court-appointed receiver in charge; she said the family has been attempting to foreclose and reclaim the motel but alleges the city has not permitted them to inspect or remedy the code issues.

"They have proceeded with a receivership against our wishes," Champaneri said, and she said the family's investment and labor "has all gone to waste" and that they would file suit against the city if the receivership is not stopped. The speakers said they had paid taxes on time, worked long hours to upgrade the property, and repeatedly offered to fix the deficiencies the city cited; they characterized the city's decision as unfair and urged council review.

City staff later described ongoing legal activity involving the River Valley Inn, noting the city is defending receivership and related litigation in both state and federal court. The city attorney told the council the city had prevailed in recent litigation on other matters and that the City continues to handle code-enforcement and receivership cases as part of regular enforcement responsibilities.

No council action to alter the receivership was recorded at the meeting; the speakers' statements were taken during the public-comment period.